A CHANGE OF PLANS.

My Lola and Lolo (grandparents)-- thank-you to my cousin for the photo :)

A little while ago, I mentioned that Patrick and I were planning a trip to Thailand just after New Years for a holiday away. We were supposed to be going to the Philippines with Patrick's fam for Christmas/New Years, but long story short, we weren't able to make the trip, so planned the Thailand holiday instead. But-- last minute-- our plans have changed! And in just under 3 weeks, we are heading over to the Philippines!

I think I have mentioned before that Patrick and I are both half-filipino, and it has been a very long time since either of us have been over there. There are quite a few things to get organised before then, but I'm excited :) I CAN'T believe that Christmas is less than 4 weeks away! EEEEP! x

MOST FOLKS.

Love this gorgeous little quote-- wise words indeedy!

(If this beautiful scripty typography makes your heart beat faster just like mine, you can check out more here).

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE.

Don't get me wrong-- I am by no means a morning person. Just ask anyone how long it takes to get me moving when I really don't want to-- ha! But since summer has arrived and the days have gotten longer, I have (for the first time in my life!) been getting up much earlier than usual.

So this morning, I was downstairs making some breakfast and I opened up the kitchen window for some fresh air, and the loveliest breeze came rushing in. When I looked up, the sun was still relatively low in the sky, peeking over the trees and the back fence-- that time of a summer morning where it still feels slightly cooler and fresh before the sun gets higher and it just feels plain hot. Just another beautiful 30°degree summer's day.

Hope you had an amazing weekend! Mine-- hot and lazy (^__^) x

ALL THAT GLITTERS.

I have never been one who's into sparkly or showy things very much, but lately (much to my surprise), I've been having a love affair with all things glittery. Maybe it's because it's nearly Christmas times, and I'm reminded of pretty sparkly Christmas lights in a nostalgic way? Either way, I don't think you'll catch me wearing a glittery dress any time soon (because, to be honest, I would still feel so unlike myself!) but just a little here and there makes me happy :)

sources: one. two. three. four. five. six. seven. eight.

A BIRTHDAY DINNER ON A WARM NIGHT.

A few snaps from the weekend :) On Saturday night, we went out to dinner to Vapiano for Patrick's sister's 21st birthday with the fam and some of Tara's friends. I got pretty blessed with my in-law family-- they're such a good bunch, and it was a fun night out.

It was kind of cool-- all of the tables had a little pot of fresh herbs for you to garnish your meal. Yummy!

I love this time of year so much. How was your weekend?? x

GOOD MORNING.

A couple of times a week, Patrick has to start work ridiculously early, and because we always say 'goodbye' to each other, I'm awake ridiculously early as well. I usually manage to get back to sleep for a little while longer, but this morning I was lying there in bed and I could just see the first light peeking in around the edges of the window, so I decided to get up and watch the sun rise.

When you're not rushing to be at work on time, or grumpy because you'd much rather still be asleep, it's such a beautiful time of day. So peaceful and fresh.

Happy Friday x

MARILYN MONROE + SNOW WHITE.

Two trailers I saw over the weekend of movies that I can't what to see:

'My Week with Marilyn' because I adore Michelle Williams and because, well, who isn't intrigued by Ms. Monroe?

'Snow White and the Huntsman' because I love fairytales.

IT'S INSTAGRAM MONDAY.

1- sunday florals
2- the prettiest teacups (they're going straight to the christmas list!)
3- reading in bed = ♥
4- perfect sky
5- my new sparkly black toenails
6- weekend lunch at the noodle bar
7- pastel 'grace as grass' green hello kitty nail polish
8 - banana, peanut butter and honey on toast.. YUM
9 - green tea oreos, yes please!
10- amazing day at the coast
11- everything is better with music

Hope your weekend was fun :) Happy Monday ya'll x

FIVE THINGS ON FRIDAY.

Happy Friday! Just wanted to share five things that I'm thankful for this week:

1- Having a quiet week. In all honesty, I really didn't leave the house very much this week. Yep, bit of a hermit. But it was lovely. Being able to take my time has been so restful.

2- Finally being back on top of a few little things that had piled up into a lot of little things. Having organised folders on my computer and categorised emails is so highly satisfying.

3- I am so happy that bananas are finally affordable again. Yep, I know that might sound reeeeallly strange, but since the floods at the start of this year ruined all of the crops, you pretty much couldn't buy bananas round these parts without breaking the bank (and I'm not even joking). Dear bananas, I will never take you for granted ever again.

4- Our comfy (semi) new desk chair. We used to have a little stool that wasn't so kind to your back after awhile, but with the amount of time I've spent in front of the 'puter lately, I am incredibly thankful we decided to upgrade.

5- This amazing summery weather. It reminds me of holidays, Christmas time, the beach, BBQ's and spending time with friends and family-- some of my very favourite things.

Hope you have the most amazing kind of weekend (whatever you get up to!) x

source: here.

11.11.11

Does 11.11.11 mean anything special to you? Here in Australia, 11.11 is a Remembrance Day for those who have died in the line of duty. Regardless of what you might think about war-- as one person to another, the sacrifices that a soldier makes are absolutely enormous and it's hard not to be touched by that.

I have mentioned before that Patrick is ex-defence, and whilst I am very proud of him, I'm beyond thankful that these days, I get to see him, at home, every single day. I have so much respect for defence families.

Lest we forget x

sources: one. two. three. four.

AS PRETTY AS A POSTCARD.

So, what did you get up to on the weekend? As I mentioned earlier last week, the weather lately has been absolutely beautiful-- it feels like summer has finally arrived (HAPPY!). So a day at the beach was definitely on the cards over the weekend, and aside from a little wind, it was pretty darned amazing out. The water was that beautiful kinda deep blue-green that you can't stop exclaiming about (or is that just me?) and so, so clear. Days like that make me so very thankful I live near the coast.

We also made a little stop in at The Village Markets (where I bought a gorgeous kimono cape from Lilac Skin-- love!) and Max Brenner for chocolate fondue... yummy :) Ahhh, weekends... you're my fave.

On another note, I have officially finished up my contract job which means, I am also officially job-less (eeekk!). I think the last crazy four weeks have caught up with me though, because today is the first day I haven't had to be at work, and BAM: I'm getting sick. Either way, I'm planning to use this time to get my self re-energised and re-organised and the serious job hunt is on. I know you're out there, amazing new job....! Happy Monday x